Mold structure leveling device



March 25, 1969 w. 5, MCGEENEY 3,434,528

MOLD STRUCTURE LEVELING DEVICE Filed June 6, 1966 Sheet of 2 INVENTOR WILLIAM S. MCGEENEY BY 74 4&- 77km;

' ms ATTORNEY March 25, 1969 w. s. M GEENEY MOLD STRUCTURE LEVELING DEVICE 2 f 0 Z t e m 8 S M 2 4 3 3 7 5 3 3 A F v w w l E H|l|ll "IIHH". 5 l2l|l N 3 5 r 3 s 6 7 7 3 l 3 6 7 m t u J d e l 1 F FIG. 2

INVENTOR WILLIAM S. Mc GEENEY J47 Q fi HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,434,528 MOLD STRUCTURE LEVELING DEVICE William Stone McGeeney, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor to United Engineering and Foundry Company, Pittsburgh,

Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed June 6, 1966, Ser. No. 555,484 Int. Cl. B22d 33/00; B22c 21/10, 21/08 U.S. Cl. 164339 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The present disclosure provides a device for leveling and maintaining a mold element in a predetermined position. More particularly, it provides in a mold assembly, including at least one mold and a pouring gate, a flask for carrying said mold, a frame for supporting the flask in a manner to allow movement thereof relative to the frame, a first means for moving said flask relative to said gate to position the mold with respect to said gate, and a second means for maintaining the flask in the obtained position. In the preferred form of the present disclosure, there is provided a carriage movable relative to a pouring station which includes a pouring gate, said carriage including a longitudinal frame, a upright flask carried by said frame, a mold block carried by said flask, said mold block at its one end assuring a sealed condition with a portion of the pouring gate, means arranged at one end of said carriage engageable with said flask for raising and lowering the flask to level said mold relative to said pouring gate, separate holding means for said flask arranged at the bottom thereof and between said carriage for maintaining the mold in its leveled position.

Background of invention It will be appreciated that while the present invention has obvious applications in other apparatuses employing molds, for the purpose of illustration only, it has been illustrated and described in connection with a bottom pressure casting machine, such as the type illustrated in U.S. Patent No. 3,015,863 dated Jan. 9, 1962, that issued to C. F. Strom et al.

Previous to the present invention great difliculty was experienced in obtaining the critical sealing condition between the side molds of the machine and the gate through which the metal passed into the cavity formed by the molds. In this regard particular reference is being made to the long side molds which may extend some 40 feet. Moreover, difliculty was experienced in the prior designs of maintaining and assuring that the molds, once level, would be maintained in the proper scalable position.

Drawings The above features, as well as others, will be better understood and appreciated from the following specification when read along with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view; partly in section, of a mold assembly incorporating the features of the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIGURE 1 taken at lines II-H of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 3 is an outside elevational view of one end of the assembly shown in FIGURE 1.

With reference to the drawings, and particularly FIG- URE 1, there is illustrated a carriage having two pairs of wheels 11, two of which are shown engaging a rail 12. This carriage moves towards and away from a pressure vessel, not shown. The carriage 10 is provided at its tops with rails 13 that are engaged by wheel-s 13a of substantially identical carriages 14 and 15. As noted by the phantom lines, these carriages move relative to each other and are made up of longitudinally extending frames 16 which receive individual upright flasks 17. The flasks are separated from the frames by yieldable springs 18 and although carried by the frames at the bottom thereof are vertically movable relative thereto. The flasks, in turn, are adapted ,to support side segmented mold blocks 20 and 21, for which purpose the flasks at the bottom have supporting surface 22. A side plate, not shown, holds the mold blocks to the flasks at the top. The mold blocks are brought together and held in their casting position by a power means 23 illustrated only in FIGURE 3. FIG- URE 1 shows the top and bottom mold blocks 24 and 25, that form the other two sides of the mold cavity along with the two end mold blocks which are not seen.

Turning now to the mold leveling device of the present invention, reference is made to FIGURE 2 where there is shown a pouring gate 28 through which the metal passes into the mold from the pressure vessel arranged beneath the gate. As previously noted, it is important that the mold blocks and, particularly, the end and side blocks that contact the seat formed by the pouring gate 28 be properly aligned so as to assure that the proper seal is established between the pouring gate and the blocks. This condition is obtained by the present invention in providing extension 31 at the botom of the flasks which extends to the right as one views FIGURES 2 and 3. Beneath the extended portion of the flask and carried by the carriage 10, there are provided two mechanical jacks 32 and 3-3, the plungers of which are adapted to engage the bottom of the extended portions of the flasks and through handoperated rods 24 will cause the flasks to be raised and lowered relative to the frame 16 and to each other so that the bottom of the mold blocks 20 and 21 may be raised relative to the gate 28. In addition each flask, as illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, are provided at their ends adjacent the gate with a number of wedge assemblies and of which, as shown, in FIGURE 1, consists of a wedge 35 formed at the bottom of the flask which cooperates with a slidable wedge 36 carried on the frame 16. In to the slidable 'wedges threaded rods 37 are provided, but extend outward away from the mold blocks to a place of easy access to their heads. The rods are, of course, held against movement so that on rotation the wedges are advanced. In operation the jacks 3'2 and 33 are employed to obtain the desired level and sealing position of the mold blocks after which the wedges are moved into snug engagement so as to assure that the mold blocks will remain in that position.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have explained the principle and operation of my invention and have illustrated and described what I consider to represent the best embodiments thereof. However, I desire to have it understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described.

I claim:

1. In an article-casting machine including:

a pouring gate assembly;

a pair of cooperative carriages, at least one of which is movable relative to the other carriage into and out of a casting position;

a frame carried by one of said carriages;

said frame carrying a flask in a manner to allow relative movement between the frame and flask;

a mold carried by said flask;

a cooperative mold carried by carriages;

power means adapted to engage said flask and adapted to adjust said flask relative to said gate to position the mold thereof with respect to said gate; and

an adjustable wedge assembly arranged between said 3 '4 frame and said fiask for holding said flask and the References Cited mold thereof in the adjusted position. UNITED STATES PATENTS 2. In an article-casting machine according to claim 1 2,009,699 7 1 3 McKune 1 3 9 X wherein said other carriage carries a frame and a rela- 2,377,732 6/1945 Walker 164- 342 tively movable flask for supporting a mold; 5 2,618,323 11/1952 pefkon 164339 w 2122a; i2 and comprising portable acks adapted to extend 13,262,164 7/1966 Meves between the carriages and frames and carried by Said carriages; 10 I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner. said adjustable wedge assembly comprising a plurality MAR, Assistant Examiner.

of spaced-apart pairs of Wedges for each frame engageable with each flask; and

means for adjusting said wedge assembly. 15 4-341, 343, 363, 378; 249-162 

